National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

News Release Archives

2004

December

December 10: International HapMap Consortium Widens Data Access
The International HapMap Consortium announces that it is ending computer-based "click wrap" license restrictions on data generated by its effort to create a map of human genetic variation. As a result, all of the consortium's data are now completely available to the public, a move that will provide researchers with even easier access to tools for identifying genetic contributions to disease.

December 8: Researchers Compare Chicken, Human Genomes
An international research consortium finds that chickens and humans share more than half of their genes, but that their DNA sequences diverge in ways that may explain some of the important differences between birds and mammals. The consortium's analysis is published in the Dec. 9 issue of the journal Nature.

November

November 10: NHGRI Names New Chief of Cancer Genetics Branch
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) names Elaine A. Ostrander, Ph.D., as the new chief of its Cancer Genetics Branch, one of the seven research branches in the Division of Intramural Research.

November 8: HHS Launches New Family History Initiative
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson launches a Family History Initiative to encourage all Americans to learn about their families' health histories as a way of promoting personal health and preventing disease.

October

October 21: ENCODE Consortium Publishes Scientific Strategy
A research consortium organized by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), publishes a paper in the journal Science detailing the scientific rationale and strategy behind its quest to produce a comprehensive catalog of all parts of the human genome crucial to biological function. Also, NHGRI announces the award of $5.5 million in technology development grants to provide new tools for the pioneering effort.

October 20: International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium Describes Finished Human Genome Sequence
The International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium, led in the United States by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the Department of Energy (DOE), publishes its scientific description of the finished human genome sequence, reducing the estimated number of human protein-coding genes from 35,000 to only 20,000-25,000, a surprisingly low number for our species.

October 18: Medical Geneticists Elected to Institute of Medicine
Two medical geneticists from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health.

October 14: NHGRI Seeks Next Generation of Sequencing Technologies
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces it has awarded $38 million in grants to spur the development of innovative technologies designed to dramatically reduce the cost of DNA sequencing, a move aimed at broadening the applications of genomic information in medical research and health care.

October 6: Bovine Genome Assembled
The first draft of the bovine genome sequence is deposited into free public databases for use by biomedical and agricultural researchers around the globe, leaders of the Bovine Genome Sequencing Project announce.

August 4:NHGRI Adds 18 Organisms to Sequencing Pipeline
As part of its ongoing effort to enhance understanding of the human genome, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health, announces that the Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network has received the green light to begin sequencing 18 strategically selected organisms, including the orangutan, African savannah elephant and domestic cat.

July

July 26:Location of Potential Familial Lung Cancer Gene Discovered
An interdisciplinary consortium consisting of 12 research institutions and universities, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), identify a major lung cancer susceptibility region on a segment of chromosome 6.

July 19:New Database Focuses on Genetic Policy and Laws
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), unveils a new Web-based resource that will enable researchers, health professionals and the general public to more easily locate information on laws and policies related to a wide array of genetic issues.

July 14:Dog Genome Assembled
The first draft of the dog genome sequence is deposited into free public databases for use by biomedical and veterinary researchers around the globe, announces the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

June

June 28:Innovative Efforts Target Epigenetics, Molecular Imaging
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announces it has awarded two new grants to establish Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

June 8:Kangaroo Hops in Line for Genome Sequencing
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces a partnership with the Melbourne-based Australian Genome Research Facility Ltd. (AGRF) to sequence the DNA of one of Australia's best-known animals: a member of the kangaroo family known as the tammar wallaby.

April

April 21:NHGRI Scientists Return to School for Second Annual DNA Day
On April 30, dozens of researchers and staff from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) head back to high schools in rural and urban communities across the country to share with students some of the exciting research taking place at the National Institutes of Health.

March

March 31:Scientists Compare Rat Genome With Human, Mouse
An international research team, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces it has completed a high-quality, draft sequence of the genome of the laboratory rat, and has used that data to explore how the rat's genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans.

March 24:International Sequencing Consortium Launches Online Resource
The National Human Genome Research Institute announces that the International Sequencing Consortium (ISC) has launched a free, online resource where scientists and the public can get the latest information on the status of sequencing projects for animal, plant and other eukaryotic genomes.

March 11:Gene Variants May Increase Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes
International research teams studying two distinct populations find variants in a gene that may predispose people to type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. The researchers, including researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), collaborated extensively in their work and report their findings in companion articles in the April issue of Diabetes.

March 1:Chicken Genome Assembled
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announces that the first draft of the chicken genome sequence has been deposited into free public databases for use by biomedical and agricultural researchers around the globe.

February

February 25:Marsupial Among the Model Organisms Next in Line for Sequencing
The Large-Scale Sequencing Research Network this year will begin sequencing the genomes of more than a dozen new model organisms, including the first marsupial to have its DNA deciphered. The research network, supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute, is part of an effort to further advance understanding of the human genome.

January

January 26:Transgenic Animals Produced Using Cultured Sperm
A Japanese-U.S. team reports the successful creation of transgenic animals using sperm genetically modified and grown in a laboratory dish, an achievement with implications for a wide range of research from developmental biology to gene therapy.

January 7:Honey Bee Genome Assembled
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces that the first draft version of the honey bee genome sequence has been deposited into free public databases.